Three Worlds Apart
by Kur0mori
Summary: Strange things are happening on Earth and in Shin Makoku. Who could be causing this destruction and what are they after? Can the group solve these mysteries before both worlds are torn apart? Beta: Angstchan
1. Breaking Earth

Wind blew at her long silver hair, pulling with it a haunting melody. It curled inside the breeze, becoming alive in its cradle. It danced up and around the smoldering remains of a once prosperous and lively city. Every note carried with it the cries of pain combined with a chorus of chaos. All of it a sweet melody to the minstrel's apathetic ears. She was not one who bothered to take note of those crying in the streets or of the mothers clutching their dying children. There was only a smile upon mordant lips, hidden within the shadow of a flute.

Those who lived on the outskirts could only watch as homes went up in smoke and businesses shattered to the ground. There was little that could be done for this city. This was the first step in many. Soon many more would share this one's fate. The kingdom of Shadow would no longer be repressed by the light. Their great Lord had come back to them after thousands of years in silence. He would finish what was started all those years ago, and this world and the next would belong to them.

The girl from the shadow lands shivered as a wave of pleasure washed through her. This land was going to suffer for all they had done. They took them from their homes, divided up their families, and forced them into lands where famine spread, and all one could hear at night were the cries of children with starved and swollen bellies.

The return of her Lord had brought with it hope and the fruition of a grudge that had millennia to grow. The smile on her lips glinted coldly in her eyes as she watched the destruction she wrought upon this Earth. Phase one was almost complete; now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

- - -

Arms lifted into the air to hear the ever satisfying crack of the morning first stretch: it had been a good night's sleep on his own bed. Yuuri Shibuya always enjoyed these little comforts of coming home. He'd grown so used to sharing his bed with a certain blond prince that he had forgotten how it felt to sleep alone and not have a acute awareness of a presence next to you.

Well there was enough thinking about that, for now he was on a vacation from all that Maou stuff, and he wouldn't have to worry about that for a few days. Gunter had granted the overly stressed demon king a leave of absence, and he was going to make the most of it. However, he wasn't going to laze about his house: that wasn't Yuuri's style. Instead he had taken up a little side job. He had decided to coach for the local little league team. Something about it seemed far more rewarding than playing for himself. He enjoyed teaching these kids about the game he loved. He would tell them stories about the American baseball greats and just watch as their little eyes became wide saucers of amazement.

Filled with a renewed vigor for the day, he quickly showered and dressed. Today was the kids' last practice before their first game, and there was a lot of work to be done, so he stopped into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast, already waiting him, from the toaster.

"Oh Yuuchan!" The boy stopped with his hand on the door, a sigh escaping his lips. He thought he was in the clear; he hadn't even made a single sound, but he should never underestimate the powers of woman who gave birth to two Maous.

"Yes, Kaasan?" He turned around and blinked, noting that the woman hadn't even turned her attention away from TV, and who could blame her, the sights that were flashing before their eyes were kind of gruesome. Another earthquake: they had been happening a lot recently and Yuuri had taken a brief moment to mentally give out his sympathy for those affected.

"Isn't it suppose to be Mama?"

"Eeeh? Murata!?" Yuuri looked over at the hand that waved from the couch. Ken Murata had a very sneaky way about him. Every thing he did seemed veiled in mystery, but Yuuri believed in him despite everything. He knew that no matter what this guy said or did, he always had Yuuri's best interests at heart, and his quick wit has gotten him out of more jams than he could possibly count. Murata was surely just as great of a man as the Sage whose soul dwelled within his body. "What are you doing here!?"

"I came here to pick you up!" Yuuri blinked at that. While he was in baseball Murata had been the manager of his team, but as far as little league went, he had been appointed one. That worked out fine. Murata had his own life to live, just like Yuuri had his, and while he never saw them, he was sure the boy had a family he had to spend time with as well. He couldn't expect Murata to sacrifice too much of his life for his sake.

"Ah, we're running late enough as it is." It took Yuuri just a few more seconds to register what the Sage had been talking about before it clicked, and he gave Murata an understanding nod.

"Ah so you two will be leaving again!? I packed up some things for you for the other side, and I sealed them all in water proof containers! Yuuchan can never be too safe, so I threw in a flashlight and a few goodies just in case you miss Mama's cooking!"

"Eehe!? Kaassan..."

"Mama." Both Murata and Jen scolded at the same time.

"You don't have to fuss that much..." He still wasn't used to the idea that his parents knew of his title on Shin Makoku. It took away part of the fun. Not that secrets were fun, but Superman never revealed himself to any one except Lois Lane, but they were lovers, and as far as Yuuri was concerned he didn't have any of those. The more he thought about it, though, Clark's parents knew, so using Superman was kind of a moot point. Perhaps Batman. Yeah no one really knew who Batman was.

The boy king was ripped out of mindless pondering by a firm pull to his hand followed by Murata throwing a packed bag to his chest. "The pool is all set up for you two in back! Be safe!!"

"Hai hai!!" Yuuri yelled back to his mother. The woman was starting to treat these world jumps as if the two of them were just going to go for a walk in the park. Though, for her, her son would be back in just minutes. The time thing worked out way too conveniently. He never had to worry about missing school or forgetting about missing out on Earth life. It was almost as if he were caught up in a dream while he was gone. So many things happened in just seconds that Yuuri was afraid that one day he might actually wake up. Everything he had learned, all the people he had met would just vanish. It was a terrifying thought.

As they stepped outside, Yuuri stared down into the kiddy pool. "Your little vacation got cut short..." Coal colored eyes focused up at his best friend, who seemed a bit more amused then he did sympathetic.

"A king isn't really free to have vacations. Time goes a lot faster there then it does here. Who knows how long I've been really gone. It would be selfish to want to stay." Yuuri's response seemed to please the other boy.

"You just don't want to be scolded. The longer you're gone the worse it will be." There came that knowing smirk, but despite all of normal gags and jokes Murata jabbed in his direction something wasn't sitting right inside Yuuri. There was something in those glasses-protected depths of the Sage's eyes that struck a chord deep down within the boy king. This wasn't a planned trip. Something was bothering Murata, and in turn it was bothering Yuuri, but like always he couldn't ask. Murata had his own way of doing things, and generally they worked out for the best. At least he thought so as he placed his foot inside the pool; he hoped that was the case.

While he had gained the power the travel between the worlds of his volition, Yuuri still didn't have the landing quite right. Nine times out of ten he would land in the temple fountain, the tenth time sometimes came up with embarrassing consequences. Popping up in the ladies washroom was not something he wanted to relive any time soon. If not for the sheer embarrassment, it was the verbal thrashing he received from his would be fiancé that urged him not to make the same mistake twice. So far so good.

He gripped the edge of pool and looked around, this wasn't where he intended to go. It surely wasn't the temple. He was in a city: a devastated city. Buildings all around him had crumbled to the ground. He could see billowing smoke stacks darken the afternoon sky, while its smell poisoned the air he breathed. A part of him knew this city, but it was that same part of him that didn't wish to believe it was true.

This was Shin Makoku. In the distance he could see Blood Pledge Castle, but all around him were nothing but cries of desperation. What had happened here? He surely had not left things this way. This looked more like the after-effects of an earthquake. The people were busying themselves trying to remove rubble and put out any fires that they could. "Murata?"

"I don't know..." For once the Sage's voice seemed as shaken as the king's own. Yuuri wasn't sure what Murata had been expecting, but he was sure it wasn't this. No one could have seen this. Yuuri had been practicing for earthquakes all his life, but this place. As far as he knew the ground was peaceful here, the nearest fault line couldn't have been for miles, so what had caused this?

The boys crawled their way out of the pool, people far too busy with their own lives to even take note of their king or the Sage wondering their broken streets. Yuuri felt torn. Every person he saw he wanted to help, but despite his title, he was just one boy.

"Over here! We found another one!" He blinked at that familiar voice.

"Conrad?" Yuuri turned his head, blinking a few times to see through a haze of smoke, but there was no question about the form he saw amidst the rubble. He was standing with a group of soldiers, working quickly to remove debris, and before Yuuri could even make it over there to ask he had already witnessed the rescue. An old man stood up with a crack of his bent back, his family rushing around him to let him sit upon the very stone that held him prisoner.

Yuuri sighed with a smile. There was relief there for the old man, but the sigh seemed incredulous. Could Conrad do anything that wasn't heroic? Yuuri had given up his perfect vision of Conrad long ago. There was a darkness within that mild mannered form. He'd seen it several times in their journeys together, and Yuuri learned that a pedestal is not where this man belonged. Conrad didn't wish to be any one's hero; he just wanted to do what he could with what he had. If people were happy with that, it was them who turned him into a hero. No, Yuuri didn't want to look at him that way any more: down here, looking way up there. It wasn't fair to a man who really didn't want anything special out life. Conrad belonged down here with him and his brothers.

"Conrad!" Yuuri jumped and waved his hand in the air, Murata stopping beside him, his wave far more polite.

"Yuuri?" The second brother lifted his head and blinked, startled eyes looking over at the two boys.

"Heika... Geika... You have amazing timing..." Conrad walked over to the rubble, brushing off the arm of his uniform. "Any earlier and I'm not sure if I could have guaranteed your safety. Let's get the both of you back to the castle."

He stepped a head of them, silently commanding the two double blacks to follow suit, which they did without question. "What happened around here?" Yuuri asked, his eyes focusing on the back of the elder man's head.

"I do not know. We were out patrolling the streets, nothing seemed out of place... and then the earth just began to shake and sink. In seconds it was able to do more damage to this city than any war I have seen." As Weller spoke Yuuri noticed his fist clenching at his side. It must have been hard watching this city start to crumble while there was no enemy around to fight. Conrad must have felt helpless: a feeling alien to the swordsmen.

Yuuri didn't feel the urge to press the issue any further, anything more could be discussed at the castle, and for now he was content to follow the man in silence. It worked out better that way; in his silence he was able to take a better survey of the damage, knowing that Gunter would want him to address this as soon as possible. It would seem that the most aid would have to be sent to the outer city. They had been, for some reason, struck the hardest. The inner city had a few buildings down at the most, and from here he only noticed the absence of one of Blood Pledges smaller towers. It was not a huge loss for the castle. If he remembered correctly it was one that was used for storage, and as far as he knew, stood empty. It would not be missed.

His suspicions about the tower were found to be correct as they walked into the gate. There was very little damage aside from that: a few cracks in walls, a few upset horses, but nothing that seemed too bad. He had to wonder what was with all these people rushing over to the tower. Had some one been hurt in its collapse? Oh, that would have been horrible.

Yuuri broke step from behind Conrad and ran off to join the crowd, ignoring Murata's cry. If it was one of his servants under there, he would have to help, but as he drew close he could make out something from within that gray rubble. A pale hand reached out from within, a gentle looking hand that was marred by blood and dirt. A hand that was framed by a stained white and blue cuff. An unmoving hand.

"Wolfram..." The name caught in his throat.


	2. Crumbling Blocks

Blood formed thin rivers along Yuuri's nails. The pain that had spread from his finger tips was left ignored. The young Maou couldn't feel anything aside from the numbness that lay like a solid lump in his gut. He barely registered the voices of others that came from behind him. The only thing Yuuri knew was that hand which seemed to reach out for him from within the rubble.

"Wolf! Hang on! We'll get you out!" He cried out in desperation, trying to sooth his fallen friend.

"Heika..." Warm hands came to the king's shoulders but were merely shrugged away in Yuuri's continuing attempts at removing the broken stones from the tower. He was having a hard time grasping what was going through Conrad's mind. His brother was going to be buried alive under all of this debris if they didn't act quickly.

There were others there with him, joining in his efforts. Soldiers were on all sides of him tossing rocks and trying to communicate with their former prince, but all any of them got in response was a frightening silence. A dead silence... NO! No... Wolfram would not be taken out in this fashion. It was too simple a death for him. He couldn't be dead, it was too soon. Yuuri didn't care if the boy was eighty-two or eight-hundred and two it was still too soon for some one like Wolfram to lose his life. No, this surely wasn't the end. There were still so many adventures ahead of them, still so much he had to learn, and Yuuri would be damned if he was going to do any of it without Wolfram by his side.

"Wolfram..." He whispered softly as his hand reached for the other, his fingers barely caressing their tips, but that was all he needed. He didn't need to clutch at it like he'd already done. He didn't have to pick himself up and climb his body that extra foot closer so he could feel for the pulse. That first contact should have been all he needed to know what exactly was laying below those cracked blocks. There was no warmth there. There was no spark of life that seemed to follow the young prince where ever he went. No sign of the fire that burned deep with in his soul. There was nothing but cold, lifeless flesh.

"No... you can't leave me..." Drops of water slowly started to fall from the sky, darkening the grayish stone to an almost black color. First a few spots here and there, but within moment it became a downpour. Lightning flashed across the darkened sky as the earth started to shake. People around him started to panic, the earlier earthquake still fresh in all their minds. Then, it all seemed to stop, just as quickly as it came with the sound of one familiar voice.

"Like I could leave some like you on your own... wimp..."

Wide black eyes shifted slightly away from the hand he clutched to his chest, and there, just barely outside of his vision, he saw a blue uniform and a soaked mop of blond hair. "W..wolfram?"

Finally his head turned to follow the path of his eyes, and all he could do was stare up at the demon prince. He didn't understand at first, he had been so sure that the hand he held was same as the one being placed exasperatedly against that slender hip. He was wrong... so thankfully wrong. Wolfram was alive.

"Wolfram!!" Yuuri jumped down from rocks and all but ran to the demon, his arms wrapping around his thin shoulders and pulling him close enough to feel that living warmth. He felt the boy stiffen at first, but slowly give in, allowing himself to be held for at least a second or two before he pulled away from the king. It was only then did Yuuri notice that while the blond was alive he certainly didn't seem to be unscathed. A bloodied bandage was tied securely around his brow, and he seemed to favor his right arm.

"Ah... S..sorry..." Yuuri ran a hand through his wet hair, water running over his face to make the perfect camouflage to hide his earlier tears.

"Allen..."

"Eh?" Yuuri blinked a few times before he followed Wolfram's darkened gaze to the rubble just as Conrad's men were removing a body from its grasp. Blood darkened what was once sandy brown hair and marred a perfect face. It was one of Wolfram's guards.

Allen... that was the name Wolfram had said. Yuuri had heard it before, he knew the boy. While not well, he had a conversation or two with him in the past. He was a promising maryoku user and had an undying loyalty to the kingdom and to Wolfram.

Wolfram walked past Yuuri and over to the stretcher where the boy's body now lay, his hand coming to his shoulder as his head bowed.

"He pushed him out of the way."

"Conrad...?" Black eyes found focus upon the middle son who had taken Wolf's place beside him.

"Wolfram was readying accommodations to lead out a second survey team. Allen was the only one who saw the tower start to crumble. Before any one else knew it he had pushed Wolfram away, but there was little he could do to save himself." The words were monotone, yet Yuuri didn't need the voice to see the emotions running over his guardian's face. In his eyes, the boy lying on the stretcher could very well have been his brother. A boy he raised from birth, a boy he nurtured in the absence of a father. The reality of what could have been cut far deeper then the scar over his brow. He'd almost lost Wolfram once before, and once was enough.

"Those bandages then?" Yuuri dared to ask.

"Aa... he sustained a few injuries from when the tower fell... the most serious is a broken arm."

Broken? Yuuri returned his attention to Wolfram. That was why he was carrying it like that, but Yuuri would have had no idea that it was actually broken. Something like that wasn't meant to be taken in stride. However, that was how it worked when you were a soldier, and despite appearances, childish actions, and a spoiled streak, Wolfram was just that: a soldier. He'd grown up with the best of the best surrounding him and teaching him. He was far better equipped, both physically and mentally, to handle much more than just a broken bone.

It was painful, when he thought of it. The things these men did to protect him. It was easier if he thought it was just for the country, but in the eyes of a soldier dying for their king was dying for their country. Yuuri didn't want any one dying for him... he knew all these men if not by name then certainly by their mere presence with in the palace walls. They were fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons... if they died there would be people saddened by the loss. They were the reason why he had to make this world more peaceful. So he could only see happiness and joy on their faces, and not the forlorn loss which seemed to crest over the blond prince's face as he looked over his fallen comrade.

"Thank you, Conrad." He gave the man one of his characteristic smiles. Within it, a silent promise that he would make everything right. It seemed to be enough as far as Conrad was concerned. While most gestures of that sort would be looked at as some ideological, wistful hope, Yuuri seemed to be the one these people believed in. He wasn't the type to let others down. He had proven time and again how far he was willing to go, and what he was willing to do for the sake of his people, and for this world.

"Gather every one, and meet me in the castle. I want to figure out what we can do to get every one back on their feet as soon as possible."

"Yes, Heika." With a curt nod, Conrad left his side leaving Yuuri alone to his thoughts as he watched his fiancé.

Black met green for only a moment, but what he saw there left the Maou startled. A storm had fallen over those sea colored eyes. Darkened by whatever thoughts brewed within their depths. Wolfram was far too proud to let anything more than that show, but still too young to keep a mask in place. It struck something deep down inside Yuuri. The feeling was foreign to him, but not unknown. He knew enough to know that it wasn't something he had control over, but also enough to know how unsettling it was.

Jealousy.

The idea that someone else had this kind of pull over the blond cherub. How close were they? How much time had they spent together? Yuuri forcefully shook his head, trying to rid it of such thoughts. It wasn't like him to dwell on things like that. It wasn't like him to think of himself before the memory of a man who had died for one of his closest friends. Internally he was disgusted, but on the outside he just politely turned his head away and continued on into the castle leaving Wolfram with his fallen soldier.

* * *

- - -

War room. Yuuri didn't like the name of it. Such a negative connotation associated to a room in which he wished only to discuss peace. He wondered how many lives were lost because the decisions made in this room.

Maps hung like tapestries on the walls, a long table stretched across the middle of the room with chairs placed evenly on either side all the way down. Only one chair stood out among the others. It sat like a throne before them, larger then the rest with velvet padding over the arms and seat. It was in this chair he was placed, despite his own unspoken wishes.

Around him he looked over the tired and concerned faces of his self appointed counsel. The former Maou sat in silence by her eldest son, a melancholy frown curving her lips. It was such a difference from the light that normally beamed off her beautiful and seemingly ageless features. To his left stood the ever gallant Conrad, opposite of him was the red headed spy, both with soot blackened faces, showing the last couple of hours had not been kind to either of them. Sitting down before him was the ever eccentric scholar, and tutor Gunter who had yet to utter a single cry or high pitched wail that normally greeted the king upon his return.

Murata sat beside Yuuri, the gleam in his glasses hiding most of his face, and keeping his thoughts hidden from the rest. Joining in his mysterious silence was the stoic Gwendal, his brow creased, and his hands folded over the table, a polar opposite to his youngest brother. Wolfram, arm now held immobile in a sling, nearly radiated his restlessness to the room. Even Anissina sat before him, a little trinket lying idle on the table in front of her, going uncharacteristically ignored.

The toll this sudden 'Quake' had taken on his friends was a hard one. No one saw this coming, and in its wake they could do little else but feel helpless. So far there was no one to blame, no way for it to make sense, it came down upon them fast and showed little mercy. Yuuri could not blame them for their sunken hearts, and he was not without this shared pain.

"I want to see damage reports as soon as possible." Yuuri forced himself to break the uneasy silence. "I want to get aid where it's needed the most, send out our best healers to the worst locations."

"Aa." Gunter nodded his head in approval.

"Secondly-"

"Secondly we find out who did this." Wolf spoke up, standing from his chair, his hand resting on the table. "Help those who need it, but we need to find out what happened before it happens again."

"There is no guarantee that someone even caused this. I don't want to start pointing fingers until we have at least some thing to go on." Yuuri kept his voice calm, despite the slight feeling of irritation.

"We were attacked. That much is obvious. The ground around here doesn't shake like that on its own."

"Right now the cause is not important, helping our people is." Yuuri felt it, his voice had hitched up.

"And what are we going to do if it happens again?" Wolfram's fist balled up against the table. "There will be more injured and we will be no closer to finding the truth than we were before!"

"We have to take care of this one thing at a time!" Was Wolfram trying to pick a fight with him? It was starting to feel that way... though, yelling back wasn't Yuuri's normal way of handling the prince, perhaps it was he who was picking the fight with him.

Before another word could be said the heavy wooden doors burst open, revealing a soldier who instantly stood at attention at the sight of his king. His chest heaving with his labored breaths.

"Heikasama! We've got trouble!" Yuuri did all he could to keep himself from slumping. Trouble was the last thing they needed right now. Their minds needed to be set on helping the people, that was the number one job of a king, but things would become difficult if more problems kept piling up. His eyes glanced over to Murata, he was curious to see how he was taking this so far. The Sage's features never wavered. It was like he was expecting this, and that feeling boiling deep down in Yuuri's gut grew one more notch.

"What is it?" Came Gwendal's gruff voice as he stood up from his chair.

"The border, on the western side.. A fight with the humans is about break out, sir!"

"The details?" Conrad started to move toward the soldier, his voice calm as always.

"They claim that we have attacked their village."

"We've have our own problems! How could they think we would attack a peaceful village!?"

Yuuri blinked, almost in disbelief after Wolfram's outburst. Along the borders were peaceful demon and human villages, all of them putting their hopes into the new Shin Makoku rule. But peace was a fragile thing, and it was only just recently gained. He would have to repair this before it got out of hand.

"They seem to have taken damage from the recent incident, and are blaming us for the damage."

"Typical human behavior... they take action before thinking. We have no reason to attack them!"

Dark eyes darted over to Wolfram. It wasn't unlike the boy to speak up about his dislike for the humans. Though, Yuuri was hoping, over time that this racism would fade away once he saw that there really were good humans, just like there were bad demons, and for awhile he thought it had, which made the prince's statement a little startling

When he thought about it, Wolfram had been anxious since the moment he walked into the room. His eyes were hard and his fist practically clenched the whole time. Yuuri had known Wolf long enough by now that if he couldn't read the boy completely he at least could form an idea of what was going on behind those spring-shaded eyes.

There really wasn't anything inside of him to back up his hateful comments, the anger was there but the words were empty. It was all because of Allen. The death of a friend left him feeling powerless. A feeling that plagued the young demon's mind to a point where it was intolerable. He was cut deep because of it, filling his own head with self doubt and he merely needed an outlet. He needed something to do, a cause to fight for, something to be angry at, other than himself. Most of the time it was Yuuri who would take up this torch, he was the one that would always forgive the prince, and offer the words he needed to hear, but today Yuuri didn't feel like taking that step. He would take care of Wolfram later; right now they were dealing with far more pressing matters.

"We don't know all the facts yet." Yuuri hoped to at least curb some of Wolfram's resentment. Then he turned to face the middle son. "Conrad, I'm going to the border. I wish to resolve this before it can get any worse."

"Aa, Heika." Conrad bowed his head and moved away from the door as Yuuri stood up from the table.

"I'm going too!"

"No, you should stay here." Yuuri didn't even make eye contact with the blond as he stepped over to his appointed escort.

"Yuu-"

"No, you're hurt and too emotional right now." Yuuri was sure that remark was going to be paid back to him tenfold in the future, but he didn't want Wolfram out on the field if things escalated. He could already hear the blond's teeth clench together. "Have Gisela see to your arm..."

"But Yuuri!" His plea seemed to have only fallen on deaf ears as Yuuri took step behind the middle son and left the room, leaving a rift far deeper than a simple wooden door.

* * *

To be continued!!  
Thanks Angstchan for the beta!


End file.
